


Big Bolts

by Engine_Red



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Original Character-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-26
Updated: 2015-10-21
Packaged: 2017-12-27 17:38:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/981743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Engine_Red/pseuds/Engine_Red
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Big Rig and Bolt-On have been looking after each other for millions of years. Recently they’ve become part of the Lost Light’s crew and while they’re not majorly active on the most important of tasks, the rest of the crew seems to be awfully curious about them and their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Big Bolts - Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction contains, as I’ve stated, original characters inserted in IDW’s universe, specifically in the “More than Meets the Eye” series.
> 
> One of the characters (namely Big Rig) was created by a dear friend of mine (shout out to Grifo, thank you bro!). He was kind enough to let me write about him and his adventures with my character, Bolt-On.
> 
> This is a work in progress, has no chapter limit established and is basically an opportunity for me to practice my writing and develop our characters’ personalities and quirks. Each chapter can stand on its own.
> 
> Lot’s of fluff ahead. Please enjoy!

Normal days were, as of late, something rare for the crew of the Lost Light. Some bots appreciated them and enjoyed them in their own different ways, as best as they could; some thoroughly enjoyed their friends’ company over a conversation and a couple of drinks, while others liked to keep to themselves and focus on their work.

The resident welder, otherwise known as Big Rig, was a healthy mixture of introvert and extrovert though, right now, he preferred nothing better than to focus on fixing whatever holes were caused by his fellow crew members’ endeavors, or something about Rodimus showing off his newly acquired sword skills… which frankly he couldn’t care less about. Usually Big Rig would refuse to weld and polish something that was certainly not his fault, except Rodimus was his captain and he preferred to save himself from his attempts at lecturing and the repetition of “Till All Are One” lines.

Time usually went by in a flash when he was working, making sure there were no visible marks as he polished the metal away.

“It’s funny how the rest of the wall looks like scrap, yet as long as your patch work is flawless you’ll be satisfied with it.” A much smaller bot peeked from his shoulder, bearing a nonchalant smile.

“Hey Boltsy. Done with your trials already? I’m sorry I couldn’t help out today, had to clean the captain’s mess…” The bigger bot stood up on his feet with a grunt. He carefully placed his welding equipment away inside a rather bulky but remarkably clean toolbox.

“You should get an upgrade for that. Your welding tool I mean, I could make you one, have Ratchet do the built in and you’d have the coolest add-on around.”

“I prefer it this way. It feels more genuine to me.” Big Rig shrugged the comment off as he walked alongside Bolt-On, the smaller bot trying to keep up with a hasty pace. “Besides I’m good at it, what difference would an upgrade make?”

“I know, I know ‘Rig!” He patted his taller companion’s forearm playfully. “Say, what about we hit Swerve’s later on? It’s movie night, those are always a looooot of fun, besides the guys love you.” Boltsy looked up expectantly at his taller companion. “Oh c’mon, there’s nothing else to do!”

“He’s going!” A familiar voice screamed from behind and they both turned their heads to face Rewind and Chromedome. Bolt-On waved.

“Hey guys. We were just making plans for later,” Bolt-On added. “What will we be watching? Please don’t say another documentary, everyone fell into recharge last time.”

“Actually, we were thinking of showing something that featured someone from our current crew.” Chromedome looked at Rewind while he spoke, seeking some sort of validation. “We’re trying to figure out who. You know showing someone’s back story is always interesting and there are zero chances the guys will fall into recharge willingly.”

“Unless…” Rewind added with a very noticeable smirk in his voice. “They’re narcoleptic and can’t really control when their recharge cycle starts.”

“That was uncalled for, but I’m letting it slide.” Bolt-On nudged Rewind’s shoulder playfully and looked back at Big Rig. “Any suggestions?”

“Can’t really think of one… so no. Anyway, I have to get to my hab suite and leave these, so I’ll catch you later.” He gestured at his toolbox and calmly waved, leaving the three bots behind.

“I guess I should go with him, we kind of been working the whole day and there’s some stuff we need to discuss. See ya!” Bolt-On promptly left Chromedone and Rewind. The companions stared at the other two walking in the distance before disappearing into one of the hallways’ turns.  They immediately stared at each other with precise coordination.

“Maybe today’s show should be about Bolt-On and Big Rig.” Chromedome suggested.

“Ooooh! I have some footage from the war where they show up, I could use that.” Rewind added with a clap. “The crew knows them, but they don’t really **_know_** them, know what I mean?”

“Well I do know where Bolts’ recharging problem comes from, I-“ Chromedome quit his explanation as soon as Rewind’s expression shifted from excitement to annoyance. He cleared his voice box and tried his best to change the subject. “We don’t really need to go there, what I mean is that a lot of things could be explained if the others knew why he suddenly falls into recharge in the middle of-”

“…Good to know you’re one step ahead in that area, make sure not to spoil the others.” Rewind’s voice reeked of sarcasm and anger with a mixture of concern. He walked ahead of Chromedome a little aggressively, the taller bot following behind, realizing immediately where he made his mistake.

“Rewiiiiind…! Come on! I was doing him a favor, it wasn’t that serious of a-” Both bots continued their argument towards the respective hab suite, gesturing but never really stopping along the way.

***

“You didn’t have to come with me. I told you I was just putting these down, Boltsy.”

“I’m checking up on you because you _never_ just "put those down", you'd waste a full two hours cleaning them up before going to Swerve's…” The little bot shrugged and mustered a grin. “Besides, I live here too.”

His tense smile was poorly-disguised when Big Rig placed his toolbox in its usual place and went up to Bolt-On, slightly bending over to place his hand on his shoulder "How right you are my obnoxious little friend." He then followed his visibly excited companion to Swerve's.

***

As soon as they got there, everyone turned their heads to face them. Big Rig's confusion was noticeable, even when his visor was not retracted. He was about to question why the sudden interest in them when- was that Ultra Magnus? Why would Ultra Magnus be there if movie nights weren’t even remotely related to work, unless…? No, something was not right here.

“You are late.” Ultra Magnus pointed out, arms folded.

“Yeah Mags, your definition of “late” being like, 2 microseconds.” Swerve ignored the look Ultra Magnus gave him and added “Oooh you guys are in for a treat tonight!! Today’s session is about –wait for it, show ‘em Rewind!“ a giant projection of a rather tacky photo montage featuring Big Rig and Bolt-On popped up, Swerve continued “YOU GUYS!!”

Bolt-on, cheerful as ever, immediately propped himself up on his hands in a table and pointed. “’Rig! It’s us!” Big Rig face palmed as he obviously didn’t share his smaller companion’s excitement, mumbling a “For Primus’ sake” as he shook his head in disapproval .

“Rewind and Chromedome thought it’d be a pro-active idea if The Lost Light’s  crew knew more about both of you,” Ultra Magnus clarified. “I, for one, read every single file related to the ship’s current staff, but I will be supervising in case anything is missed or any protocols are broken.” He emphasized his words by looking straight at Swerve.

“Er… right! So, take a seat ‘Rig, drinks and energon snacks are on the house! You are our stars, after all.” Swerve started to serve his friends with enthusiasm. Meanwhile Big Rig reluctantly greeted a couple of Autobots and went to the farthest row, away from the main table. He fist-bumped Fortress Maximus before he sat next to him, never once retracting his visor.

Bolt-On, having assumed his place a while back between Tailgate and Skids, eagerly awaited for the “show”, not minding for a second the fact that his life was going to be exposed, as well as his weaknesses, to several bots. Big Rig not so much, he kept his arms crossed and a stoic expression, to the best of his abilities anyway. Those who actually knew him outside his job, like Rung, would realize that he wasn’t in fact as stoic as he seemed and all that was merely an act, a metaphorical wall he usually put up around himself to protect and contain any kind of fragility he possessed deep down inside.

A couple of minutes into the show and Big Rig started to relax, having uncrossed his arms. What Rewind was exhibiting seemed to be quite harmless. Chromedome narrated most part of the facts, with Bolt-On occasionally interrupting him to correct or add certain things. They’ve only been showing their lives before they met, before the war, until they joined a cause and their lives became inevitable intertwined.

“You mean Bolts met Wheeljack? That certainly explains a lot!” Exclaimed Swerve while he filled a bowl with energon cubes.

“Well, yeah, though I was more focused on artillery, Wheeljack had a broader knowledge,” said Bolt-On. “However, they didn’t really want me at the war because of my ability to design and build weapons, they-“ the smaller bot was interrupted by Big Rig, who had crossed his hands once more.

“Bolt-On’s alternative mode is a gun carriage, you know… for artillery. He can modify his frame and adapt it to a weapon’s configuration. You place any kind of weapon on his back and he’ll immediately reconfigure himself to fit that object. This comes in handy if your troops require a huge cannon with wheels.” Big Rig eradiated aggressiveness and the mumbling ceased, clear sign that everyone either found the conversation interesting or were surprised that Big Rig actually spoke.

“Cool!” Whirl commented. “Have to let me and Blaster try that function of yours once in a while, Bolts!”

“No Whirl, not cool!” the crew flinched the moment Big Rig stood up and growled at Whirl. He immediately realized that his weakness almost broke through his “walls” as he sank back to his seat, trying his best not to tell Whirl to frag off. He knew the crew would promptly understand why that wasn’t “cool”. How Bolt-On was abused and how experimental weaponry was tested using his rather small frame and the damage it caused. For now, he tried to calm down, sipping on his drink as nonchalantly as he could, thankfully Ultra Magnus wasn’t calling out on his small outburst.

The “movie” advanced a little further, Big Rig’s passion with welding being covered, his team work with Bolt-On exposed and thoroughly commented on, aside from a particular event where the details required Big Rig’s narrative assistance.

“Oh! I almost forgot all about this!!” Bolt-On bounced on his chair, staring at the projection. “Remember ‘Rig? We were in Crystal City and you had to carry me approximately 110 kilometers because I wouldn’t fit in your alt mode’s trunk?” he looked back at Big Rig expectantly, waiting for an answer from his companion.

“Boltsy you’re crazy! That was _only_ a couple of kilometers, **_max_** ,” Big Rig immediately waved Bolt-On’s claims off.

“Nope, I’m pretty sure it was at least a hundre-“

“A couple of kilometers, **max!** ” Big Rig emphasized his words by pointing his finger at Bolt-On and sinking back into his seat once again with his hands crossed.

“Sorry to interrupt your little quarrel,” Rewind continued.  “But according to the files, both of you were in a bunker in Crystal City and had to retreat to Iacon. Bolts is right, that’s easily 100 kilometers.”

“Well, the files are wrong,” Big Rig insisted. “We were already in Iacon,” He refused to make any kind of visual contact with either Rewind or Bolt-On for fear his arguments would be, somehow, invalidated. Yet he kept his posture, refusing to give into Rewind’s inconveniently precise information.

Bolt-On on the other hand, seemed quite set on revealing the truth, “But ‘Rig, don’t you remember? A crystal splinter sliced my leg right off my frame and everything! You carr-“

“Boltsy, it wasn’t a splinter that took your leg, it was a grenade. _A grenade, **not**_ a crystal. Besides you weren’t thinking straight, which is only natural, since you were hit by an _explosion_.” Big Rig sat uncomfortably in his chair, crossing and uncrossing his legs, then grabbed his drink only to place it back a second later. He mumbled his embarrassment disguised as irritability away. “Grenade… Iacon… I know what I’m talking about, fraggit…!”

At the main table, Rung and Chromedome stared at Big Rig. Amongst the bots present none were more aware of his feelings than them. Rung was a psychiatrist, reading people was what he did best and he couldn’t help but fondly smile at Big Rig’s reactions. Chromedome was… well, he could identify with precision when a bot was being bashful, after all he secretly thought he and Big Rig had more in common than they both were aware of.

“Er… If I could just continue…? Thank you.” Rewind proceeded, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “So, uh, right. Grenade. Iacon. 2 kilometers. _Sure…_ whatever. When both of them arrived from their long walk er, _walk_ , Ratchet was already waiting with spare parts to replace Bolts’ damaged legs.”

“Sure I was.” Ratchet interrupted the narrative, his tone reeked of sarcasm and it was making everyone present doubt Big Rig’s narrative corrections. “I can’t recall it with precision, but since this _clearly_ was a time of war, I’m pretty sure I must’ve had those parts delivered to me in _15 minutes_ , _tops_.” He eyed the bigger bot in hopes he’d drop the tough guy act and confessed that he didn’t want to admit “his weaknesses”, Primus forbid he has feelings for something other than welding.

Bolt-On looked back and forth between Big Rig and Ratchet rather confused, drink in hand and mouth open. It all happened too fast though; in a moment he was sipping his drink, the next he drops his head violently against the table knocking his glass, and consequently his drink down with a loud thud. Big Rig calmly settled his drink aside and got up with an exasperated grunt. “Here we go again…” everyone seemed to stare at Bolt-On, completely knocked out with his face against the table.

“Woah. Is he- is he recharging?” Skids lifted one of his hands and dropped it abruptly. “Never thought I’d get to witness one of his infamous “episodes." 

Ratchet inspected the smaller bot and he did in fact conclude that Bolt-On had one of his narcolepsy episodes, when he unexpectedly fell into recharge. He made room for a visibly concerned Big Rig, who shifted behind him and checked his friend for possibly blocked vents due to his awkward position on the table. Once he was assured nothing serious was going on, he shrugged it off and went back to his seat “Don’t worry guys, he’ll regain his senses soon. This happens several times a day, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”

Tailgate, who awkwardly had scooted over and was pressing against Drift, was now trying to calm his rising panic attack, optics flickering. “Is he- IS HE OK!? Is this one of his narcoplopsy, nacrolectric, nar- whateveritis, episodes?”

“ _Narcolepsy_ , Tailgate. He suffers from "Neurological Recharge Disorder” or NRD for short. Well, I guess this would be a good time to explain why Bolt-On falls randomly into recharge.” Added Chromedome, who dramatically gestured with his hands towards Bolt-On.

The crew watched now with renewed interest the story behind Bolt-On’s recharge issue. Once again, Big Rig assuming the role of main narrator. There was something about Big Rig and how every time he spoke, the crew tended to be quieter than usual. He was a few inches shorter than Fort Max, and while he wasn’t a figure of the law or the most talented of fighters, his profession, as humble as it was, gave him pride and a sense of self-respect that was somehow reflected onto others. He and Fortress Maximus shared these feelings for each other, having built their friendship upon admiration and respect.

Big Rig steadily explained Bolt-On’s personal story, seeing as Bolt-On himself was out of commission, at least for the time being. While his expression didn’t change, his voice gave away his feelings whenever something more tragic was mentioned. How Bolt-On was used, abused and rebuilt, only to have it done all over again. How his frame was a curse, despite his efforts to become a brilliant weapons engineer. Finally, how his selflessness lead to self-sacrifice and how he protested and forbade any kind of tests be performed upon other bots that weren’t himself.

It hurt to think that Bolt-On had gone through all those horrible experiences, but it hurt even more to realize that instead of refusing to be treated as an object, he embraced his destiny and became a martyr for a good cause and not _once_ complained or so much pitied himself.

“While he was building the upgrades for the troops’ weapons he often ignored any need he might have had. Bolt-On was dead set on contributing to the Autobot cause, so much he basically refused to recharge and worked non-stop. The others weren’t as keen on getting work done, so Bolt-On practically did their jobs. The consequences are visible.” Big Rig explained, gesturing his glass towards a still recharging Bolt-On.

"I remember a few episodes when it all started," Ratchet added. “Wheeljack would come to me carrying Bolt-On. I confess I was at a loss at the time, everything seemed normal aside from the irregular recharging cycles. Eventually I started to monitor Bolt-On’s recharging schedule and turns out the kid would be without any rest for several dozens of cycles at a time. Eventually his systems adapted and came up with a “defense mechanism”, the problem is basically the schedule, or lack thereof.”

“That and upon realizing his problem, he refused to let anyone try anything he’d build, for fear he might’ve accidentally blacked out in the middle of assembling. He’d never let anyone use his upgrades before trying them out on himself first.” Big Rig concluded.

“So that’s why he has so many busted arms on display in his workshop walls? Frankly that’s kinda creepy …” said Swerve. “Why does he keep them around anyway?”

“Reminders…” Rung added insightfully, the other bots expecting nothing else from the psychiatrist. “They’re reminders of his failures, but also an encouragement to keep moving forward.” Big Rig nodded in agreement before taking a sip from his drink.

“There. The End.” Rewind turned his camera off and Chromedome handed him a glass of energon accompanied by a praise. Another successful movie night.

“Is that it…?” Tailgate shrugged. “Aren’t you forgetting something…?” He looked at Rewind, optics wide in confusion with a mixture of disappointment.

“Now that you mention it…” Rewind, as well as the rest of the present bots, turned their heads to look at Big Rig. He stared back looking genuinely confused by their sudden interest. “What? That’s all.”

“Yes but,” Tailgate gestured. “We didn’t get to watch when you offered each other the vials containing your innermost energon! You know, **_the ritual_**! ...Bolt-On **_IS_** your Conjux Endura… isn’t he…?” The little bot stared at Big Rig, anxiously waiting for a reaction... or a happy ending to the story.

Big Rig sprayed his drink all over Fortress Maximus, not being able to contain his reaction at Tailgate’s surprisingly bold commentary. Apparently, the rest of the crew didn’t share his feelings of surprise and they too looked at him patiently waiting for something else, _anything_ that could explain their relationship.

“ ** _WHAT!?_** No, _no…_ wait!! You **_all_** think he’s my...!?” the crew nodded immediately. “Oh. _OH!_ No, **_no_** , uh… we’re not bonded! I mean we are, we’re friends, but we’re not-“ Big Rig cleared his voice box in an attempt to regain his composure, he quickly muttered an apology to Fort Max for his accident in-between all the uncomfortable shifting. His vents whirred, trying to keep his frame from overheating and, oh Primus, he hoped that wasn’t audible…

“We’re just friends, ok? That’s it.” He clarified, holding both his hands up defensively, dismissing any accusations that he and his smaller companion shared a bond.

“Awkwaaaaard…” Swerve whispered to Skids’ audio receptor, holding a hand up to conceal the comment but clearly failing.

The rest of the crew reacted in different ways to Big Rig’s outburst of pure denial: Some laughed (mostly at Swerve’s comment), some muttered their surprise to one another (and in–between something about someone owing money to Jackpot), but most of them looked down right disappointed, Tailgate and Rewind looking the most appalled of the bunch.

Rung however, reading Big Rig’s embarrassment like a piece of information in a panel, attempted to calm down the excitable crowd, flailing his arms and uttering pleas. Ultra Magnus supported him, demanding ‘silence and order’ before he had to start putting someone in the brig for misbehavior.

Big Rig promptly stood up. Even though his visor was covering his optics, he seemed to be in a rather irritable mood and the mutiny seemed to gradually fade away, as a result.

 “Hrrrnnnghhh…” Bolt-On groaned and shifted, resuming his sitting position. “What did I miss?” He asked nonchalantly before resetting his optics a couple of times and rubbing his nasal bridge.

Swerve immediately offered to give him a thorough explanation of the latest events, except his plans fell short once Big Rig quickly covered his mouth with one large hand.

“Nothing Boltsy, you missed absolutely nothing.” Big Rig attempted to shrug the subject off. _“If you say anything about this we will have to talk later.”_ He dangerously uttered into Swerve’s audio receptor and Swerve nodded.

“You mean it’s over? Aw...” Bolt-On couldn’t hide his disappointment, but then again there were bots whose feelings were quite transparent.

“Yeah Boltsy, it’s over. I have to go, you know… clean my tools. I didn’t get to, remember? As a matter of fact, **_we_** should go.” The crew swore he just glared at them from behind his visor. They kept the muttering to a minimum, except for Whirl, who still insisted on laughing and making jokes.

“Boltsy and Rigsy, the unexpectedly unmarried duo! How will the story end?” He cackled, before Fort Max urged him to be quiet.

Big Rig growled at Whirl, visor retracting for the first time in cycles to reveal a very irritable and hazardous expression. Whirl took the hint, yet the bigger bot swore he was still smiling with his one eye. “Fine, _fine_ , big guy. Just messing with you, don’t stress it.” He waved both claws calmly.

“We should conclude this session for today, everyone. I will supervise Swerve’s cleaning procedures, the rest of you organize and place their respective cups and seats back to their original locations and I don’t want to see any snacks scattered on the floor and tables-” Ultra Magnus kept mumbling orders, much to the crew’s disappointment. Bolt-On and Big Rig took this as a cue and made their retreat.

***

“That was fun, wasn’t it ‘Rig? Sorry if I blacked out and missed the ending though…” Bolt-On sat on his recharging slab, smiling.

“That’s ok, Boltsy.” Big Rig mumbled from his workstation, back turned to Bolt-On while he cleaned his welding tools until they glistened. He shifted his position and seemed to grab something from a different compartment of his workstation. Bolt-On lifted his head with a curious expression, trying to take a peek at whatever it was Big Rig was doing.

“You still not done there? That’s not even cleaning anymore, that’s polishing!” He chuckled, and lied down on his berth, disappointed he could not discern what Big Rig was doing. Surprisingly, his recharging cycle started with no difficulties.

Before Big Rig initiated his well deserved recharge, he placed a small vial filled with innermost energon on top of Bolt-On’s workstation. “Sorry it took so long, Boltsy.” he sat on his slab and stared at it, pondering on his decision for a while before finally lying down. “Urgh, I’ll never see the end of it once the guys find out about this…” He slipped into recharge with a very distressed expression.


	2. Big Bolts - Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the events of the first chapter, Bolt-On finally receives Big Rig's vial. 
> 
> Although the ritual demands for the partners to exchange innermost energon, Big Rig leaves before Bolt-On has the chance to offer him his vial. The cheerful engineer seems to be confident about completing their bonding later, but little did they know they'd have to face some rather troubling obstacles first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is unbeta'd so I apologise in advance for any mistakes or incoherence. I should mention that Fort Max's appearance doesn't exactly match with the canon story (in the events of MTMTE following the Overlord incident), so think of this as a happier AU where everyone's still 'breathing'!
> 
> Shout out to my friend Grifo for letting me borrow Big Rig once again. I'll also take the chance to say that I'm quite fond of Whirl, so don't let the way I wrote him make you think otherwise.
> 
> This chapter contains violence with lots of fluff to counter it. Again, it's mainly OC-centric but I hope you still enjoy it. :)

Big Rig was a pile of nerves that particular cycle. He was known for his composure during work and he usually kept to himself. Granted, he’d say his ‘hellos’ and converse during breaks except today he was particularly quiet.

Hoist wanted to ask him what crawled up his tailpipe, but he knew when a bot wanted to keep to himself and frankly that was totally fine. He certainly didn’t want anyone asking him about his business.

Big Rig finished earlier than usual, but he’d never leave the workshop until his shift was over so naturally he’d have to find other things to do. He’d ask Hoist if he needed any help to which he casually replied that ‘it was fine’ and Big Rig didn’t insist. Instead he figured he’d just clean his tools in the workshop instead of his own work table in his habitation suite.

Just when he started to neatly arrange his precious tools inside his equally neat tool box the workshop’s door slide open revealing a very amused Chromedome. Oh no, there it was. They knew about the offering ritual he made the night before, now everything was going to be hell. Good bye, peace. Thought Big Rig with an exasperated sigh.

“What’s up, Chromedome?” He asked, closing his sturdy tool box and heading towards the door. Chromedome took a step back to let him out, never once taking his optics off him.

“So, we just heard from Bolt-On…” Chromedome promptly started to follow Big Rig in whichever direction he was headed. “That was really brave what you did… I mean, it’s nothing too surprising but still, everyone’s been talking about it after yesterday’s movie session. Rewind’s really happy about it too, he likes to think of himself as the main ‘catalyst’ that led to your offering.”

Big Rig couldn’t help it but sigh, yet again. He had decided a couple of seconds ago that he’d keep his composure and not let their comments or possible cat-calls get to his ‘walls’, as Rung liked to describe it. He certainly wouldn’t shout or tell them off, otherwise he’d lose his credibility and prove them that yes, this whole situation left him just a teensy bit embarrassed.

“Well, I have to admit that it was a boost.” Affirmed Big Rig, never once crossing optics with Chromedome.

“How did Bolt-On react?” Chromedome asked.

“He didn’t- I didn’t- I don’t know. I left the vial on his side of the workstation. I left to the workshop before he was finished recharging.” He cleared his voice box, attempting to hide any nervousness that might’ve been noticeable. “I… I don’t know.” His pace came to a halt.

“What do you mean you just left it there? You guys have to exchange them, you can’t simply just-“ Chromedome’s assumptions ceased and he brought his servos up, as if to gesture any offenses he might’ve made away. “What I mean is,” he calmly started “Bolt-On has to give you his for the bond to be complete. I hate to say this, especially since it’s not my busi-“

“No. It’s not!” Big Rig snapped, hissing as if to curse himself from losing his calm demeanor. “… Look Chromedome, this isn’t easy for me, ok? Cut me some slack.” He brought a servo up to his forehead, taking a moment to calm himself.

“Alright, alright… I’m sorry ‘Rig.” Chromedome placed a servo on his shoulder and continued, “Listen… I know you have a lot on your mind right now, so I’m just going to give you a friendly advice: Don’t go to Swerve’s. Bets and all… you know how Jackpot and the guys are. Anyway, I should get going so good luck out there.” He gave him a sympathetic look and left, disappearing into one of the many turns in the ship’s hallways.

Big Rig kept walking in a slow pace, he was lost in his own thoughts or rather, he was mostly wishing no one would cross paths with him in the hallways, which was rather difficult since most of the crew’s shifts were over for the cycle.

As soon as Big Rig makes it around the first corner he spots one of the bots he least wanted to encounter.

“Huffer…” He mutters in a dismissive tone.

“Hey ‘Rig! I heard about the thing, you know? That… **_thing_** you did!” Huffer says, much to Big Rig’s annoyance.  He can only sigh and hope Huffer ends his teasing soon since his patience was running rather short.

“No seriously, I heard about it see, and what I also heard was that someone tossed a vial of innermost energon out the window this very morning see?”

Big Rig cleared his voice box and despite not having retracted his visor, one could perfectly make out he was irritated. “Huffer… just- just stop. I don’t know what you’re talking about and you’re only going to embarrass yourself if you keep talking.”

In an increasingly irritating tone, Huffer adds: “Yeah you do, you gave that pipsqueak a vial of your innermost energon, everybody knows about it!”

Big Rig retracted his visor. It was a wildly known fact amongst Autobots and Decepticons alike that whenever Big Rig retracted his visor he meant business. He’d irradiate such strong yet intimidating energy that whoever was the subject of his rage, even if said subject was stronger, would reconsider his life choices.

He retorted, “Tell me Huffer, I know Bolt-On doesn’t even interact with you let alone _talk_ to you, and I happen to know my friend pretty well so… how is it that everyone knows about it? Care to explain that particular rumor?”

Huffer replied, “I don’t even know, ‘Rig. Whirl told me as I crossed him on my way to the construction site. He may or may not have told someone else…” he sounded surprisingly amused. Big Rig took that as a confirmation that Whirl in fact was spreading rumors for the sole purpose of his own amusement.

Big Rig took a step forward and Huffer flinched. “Huffer, does that thing fully close around your head?”

“Of course not.” Huffer hesitantly replied, “This is my alt mode’s front, why would it?”

Big Rig leaned towards Huffer, purposely invading his personal space. He growled into his audio receptor in a menacing manner, “Do you want it to?” He clenched his servos, emphasizing his intentions.

Huffer, suddenly feeling out of his depth, took a step back while trying to dismiss the obvious threat. He held both of his servos up and waved them defensively “No, no… No man it’s ok. We’re cool! I think someone’s calling! Havetogobye.” Huffer promptly left, he might’ve tripped along the way, Big Rig couldn’t tell.

In an attempt to calm himself down he brought a servo to his face, cursing Whirl’s name through his dental plates and with a punch to the wall his frustrations were no more, except he’d have to repair the damned thing tomorrow. He could’ve had repaired it on the spot but his afflictions were taking the best of him. How he’d like to go to Swerve’s if Bolt-On wasn’t there...

He walked towards his hab suite hoping no more unpleasant surprises would suddenly pop-out along the way.

***

Bolt-On, cheerful as ever, couldn’t wait to finish his shift at the workshop and tell his friends what he found lying on top of his workstation. As a matter of fact, he was so excited he barely collapsed. Twice only, according to Tailgate. Once he was done he left with Tailgate to meet the guys at the usual place. Rewind, Swerve, Tailgate, Rung, Ratchet… and a couple of others were the first to know about the offering and probably more followed. The bar eventually filling up with curious bots, while others genuinely wanted to relax and keep to themselves and could care less about some bots’ emotional affairs.

“So did you give him yours?” Rewind asked. “I offered mine to Domey a long time ago…”

“Not yet! I woke up and he wasn’t there so I figured he just left to work.” Bolt-On shrugged casually and somewhere in the back someone screamed “Hah! It’s not official yet, I don’t have to pay you scrap, Jackpot!”. Bolt-On laughed at that. It afflicted his friends really, the fact he wasn’t the least worried about completing the ritual. Some of them wondered if their relationship wasn’t something that was just ‘there’, the fact their lives became intertwined and they got used to each other’s presence so much it was depleted of feelings. It was their personal views taking the best of their judgments. Nonetheless, it bothered them.

“Bolt-On look…” Started Rewind, “aren’t you… worried? About this I mean?”

“Why?” Bolt-On blinked innocently.

“I mean, I know you two are close but Big Rig doesn’t really show… _anything_. At least anything we could see.” Rewind elaborated, looking rather concerned.

“Rewind, he did give me his vial didn’t he?” Bolt-On explained “You should ask Chromedome, he’s been trying to communicate with ‘Rig lately. I think he’d agree with me when I say you don’t need to speak through words to express that you care. In ‘Rig’s case, it’s the small gestures, not the words. I mean, we’ve been partners for four million years… right?”

“That you have Bolts…” Rewind said, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a sympathetic look.

“Then no worries! I’ll give him mine later!” He took a small vial in the shape of a gourd from one of his compartments, holding it with pride and with a grin. “A bot’s gotta do, what a bot’s gotta do!” That said, someone else in the back screamed again “Jackpot, it’s not gonna be public, PAY UP!” and Bolt-On just laughed.

They spent the next hours laughing and chatting, millions of years in memories recalled through casual conversation, they could be there for another couple million years and their chattering wouldn’t have ceased. Between nostalgia, joy, and pain, Whirl came into the bar and sat nonchalantly at their table interrupting the conversation to appease his curiosity.

Out of nowhere Big Rig entered the room, scanning it through his visor, obviously looking for someone in specific that wasn’t Bolt-On. The lively sounds of Swerve’s coming to a halt immediately and its eyes becoming focused on him instead. Big Rig looked far from cheerful, not that he always did anyway, but his usual contained expression was now twisted into what could be called anger. He spotted someone on Bolt-On’s table and walked towards it with heavy footsteps.

“Whirl!” He stopped in front of the seated empurata bot, towering him. “Can we go outside? I have _something_ I need to discuss with you.” Big Rig growled.

“Oh? Is this about my version of the story? Can’t a bot have some fun now, big guy? You know perfectly well I was making that up, but my plan worked…” Whirl tilted his head, letting everyone know he was pretty pleased with himself. Big Rig could only frown, taking a step backwards.

“You came to talk to me, just like I was expecting. Now big guy…” he got up, looking straight at Big Rig’s visor and muttering in a predatory tone “ _Let’s talk_.” He left the bar, Big Rig stood there speechless and confused for a brief moment before he followed.

“Oh boy, that sounds like trouble…” Swerve said, cleaning a glass. It took a while for the other bots to resume their activities, but soon the bar was back to its normal ambience.

“Whatever it is I’m sure Big Rig won’t even consider whatever Whirl has to propose.” Bolt-On spoke calmly, grabbing a cup of energon and taking a sip. “He doesn’t really like trouble.”

“How are you so certain?” Skids asked from the other side of the table.

“He hates it when **_I_** get him into trouble but he still helps me, _because_ it’s me.” Bolt-On said confidently.  The other bots only shrugged and nodded.

***

“Whirl, what is this all about?” Big Rig demanded, servos crossed.

“Well, this is all about your friend. You see big guy, I couldn’t help but notice your little challenge yesterday.  You didn’t actually think I’d let your little ‘growls’ and ‘glares’ go unnoticed. Tsk tsk.” Whirl waved a claw and continued, speaking in a very amused and confident tone. “I know a challenge when I see one, especially one you made _in_ public.”

“Whirl, that wasn’t a challenge. That was a warning.” Big Rig’s tone of voice remained unchanged, barely transpiring any emotions.

Whirl stroke the wall violently, a sign that he was taking this whole ordeal very seriously. He shouted, “ **DON’T GIVE ME THAT SCRAP!!** That was a challenge. **YOU** challenged me when you stood up from your seat to defend that little fragger!! Guess what big guy, _challenged accepted_!” It was not a revelation that Whirl was insane, Big Rig thought, and dangerous… insanely dangerous. But then again, there were very few things that Big Rig was scared of and none of them involved Whirl. Still, Big Rig’s honor would never let him get into some kind of street brawl mainly when said brawl had no reasonable foundation, aside from Whirl’s own twisted views of certain events.

Big Rig just nonchalantly brushed Whirl’s claw aside, which was now poking his chest. “Not interested. I didn’t challenge you. Leave me alone.”

Just when Big Rig turned around to return to his hab suit Whirl spoke, “Fine, I was just asking for a friendly challenge but I guess if you won’t give me something to entertain myself with **‘Rig** , I’ll just ask your **not** conjux endura for help, he does seem way nicer. See you around big guy.” Without any further ado, Whirl immediately transformed and left. Big Rig froze in place, spark pulsing with so much anger he couldn’t help but shake and clench his servos. “Don’t push me, Whirl…” he spat, hitting the same spot Whirl hit earlier, making a much bigger crater. He cursed himself again realizing that he’d have to fix that… tomorrow. Something told him this cycle wasn’t going to be over anytime soon…

***

When Bolt-On regained his senses after another one of his ‘recharging episodes’ he found himself staring into one very amused eye.

“Wh-Whirl? I was in the bar just a second ago-“ Bolt-On sat up and immediately realized he wasn’t in a hab suite but the ship’s Bridge. “Where’s Blaster? Did you bring me here…?” He brought a servo to his optic and rubbed, looking surprisingly calm.

“Yep. I did.” Whirl said, claws settled in his hips. “I’ve talked to your partner and you and I are going to have some fun with that alt mode of yours. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to take you to Ratchet if anything goes wrong. You know… if you lose a limb or your chassis explodes, that thing that happens when you fire weapons that are too big for your frame. For now…” Whirl pointed to one of the many bridges’ canons that laid untouched for what seemed to be several solar cycles on the floor.

“Are you telling me you’re gonna use that on me, Whirl? I don’t think that’s such a good idea… Ultra Magnus will be mad, you know?” Bolt-On said, finally getting on his feet.

“I don’t care.” Whirl towered the much smaller bot in his usual intimidating manner. He poked the center of Bolt-On’s helmet with a claw while he spoke. “What I do care, is to prove a point to that tall friend of yours, little guy. And I happen to know you are a **load-bearer** so I know you **can** take it. That said, cradle that canon for me will ya.”

***

Big Rig left his hab suite and headed towards Swerve’s, he’d been inside his room for a couple of hours now and Bolt-On hadn’t returned. The first thing that came to his mind was his rather heated encounter with Whirl earlier. Servos clenched, he growled and took hasty yet incredibly tense footsteps along the ship’s hallways. As he advanced, the other bots would conveniently get out of his way, Big Rig didn’t even notice them.

Once Big Rig entered the bar he went straight to Swerve, ignoring the other curious bots who stared at him and muttered their guesses as to why he made such a dramatic entrance. Swerve ceased his activities and set his fabric and cup aside, raising an optic.

“’Rig? Are you ok man?”

“Where’s Bolts?” ‘Rig went straight to the point, placing his servos on top of the table abruptly. His trembling noticeable.

“Wait! Hold on!!” Swerved held his servos up in a defensive manner and shook them, “He isn’t with you??”

“Swerve, my patience is running low...” he muttered dangerously between his dental plates, “Tell me where he is. **Now.** ”

“Wow, dude. Calm down man! No need to get violent. Whirl came to meet us after you guys went outside. Everyone was having a good time and Bolts fainted, I mean, fell into recharge out of nowhere… you know how he is. Whirl seemed to be in a good mood so he just told the others he was going to take Bolts back to his habitation suite. That’s all that happened, I swear!”

Swerve could have many flaws but, whatever the words he spoke were, no matter the quantity or how trivial or useless, they were always true. Swerve was an honest bot, everyone knew that, even ‘Rig whose judgment was clouded by anger at the moment. Besides, he could read expressions like no other due to his years around a particularly emotive partner.

Swerve was being honest.

After his conclusion, Big Rig promptly left without another word. He knew precisely where he could find Bolt-On. Swerve however,  found himself wondering if he should warn someone, _anyone_ about the potential hazardous situation that he _knew_ was going to happen _soon_. For the time being only one person came to mind.

***

“You mean Big Rig challenged you?” Bolt-On asked reluctantly, after denying Whirl his request countless times.

“He did little guy, he owes me. But if he’s not going to humor me, then you’re next on my list.” Whirl said, his tone filled with amusement and arrogance. “I’ll be entertaining myself and proving a point to your **not** conjux endura. It’s like killing two ‘Cons with one shot.”

“I’ll do it.” Bolt-On replied confidently. “With one condition though…”

“Oh? And what’s that?” Bolt-On swore if Whirl was capable of facial expression, then he was most certainly raising an optic.

“Big Rig’s debt will be settled and you’ll leave us alone.” Bolt-On clarified.

Whirl brought a claw to his head, as if to hold his ‘chin’ in a thoughtful manner. He looked at the side and pondered for a few moments before giving his answer, “Alright little guy.  It’s really a shame… you’re proving to be way more cooperative than I’ve expected. But you’re an honest fellow, I like that. Don’t take it personally I can’t shake your hand, though. Just consider the deal done. Now…” Whirl leaned towards Bolt-On’s face, voice dangerous. “Let’s have some fun and shoot some asteroids. I’m **almost** out of patience.”

Bolt-On did as he was asked without any further protest. His alt mode, as far as alternative modes went, wasn’t that spectacular since Bolts was all wheels, bolts and a tiny frame. His chassis however… that’s where things got interesting. Bolt-On was not like other vehicles, he didn’t possess what resembled a cockpit but rather a ‘cradle’ with gaps, bolts and a lot of transformation seams where any bot _instinctively knew_ that it was meant to support _something_.

Whirl was very pleased with himself, anyone could tell judging by the way he frolicked towards the canon, dragging it with some effort, and eagerly settling it onto Bolt-On. Whirl took a step back to enjoy what happened next: Bolt-On transformed and integrated the canon fully into his frame, plates intelligently adapting to the weapon, wrapping around it like it was always meant to be there. If any bot would’ve come across Bolt-On and his now fully integrated canon, they’d never have guessed that the weapon was an addition. However,  Bolt-On was still far too small in comparison and it was a matter of time before his frame started to give in to the weight and leak energon from its seams.

“Look at you! You even gave it a targeting visor for one optic only, how thoughtful!” Whirl commented excitedly . “Now move to the edge, let’s put this bad boy to use!” He patted the canon and accompanied Bolt-On as he moved near the opening.

Suddenly, all Bolt-On heard was the sound of what sounded like an impact and the floor trembled.

It all happened too fast. One minute Whirl was standing next to Bolt-On, the next he was rammed into a wall by Big Rig. The crater caused by the impact was massive and quite deep, looking like an asteroid just hit the Lost Light without any mercy.

Whirl barely regained his senses and Big Rig’s massive fist was upon his face, punching it mercilessly against the now wrecked wall. He smashed his face in powerfully half dozen times before Whirl decided it was enough and caught him by his waist, placing his feet against the wall, using it to propel himself forward. They both rolled on the floor for a moment, limbs locked together in a violent twist. When it came to halt, Whirl settled himself on top of Big Rig and pined his servos next to his head.

“Ah-Ha! The knight arrives! It seems I’ll be getting my fight after all! **LET’S GO!!** ” Whirl raised both of his claws and slammed them right into Big Rig’s audio receptors at the same time, in an attempt to disorient him. Big Rig’s rage though, spoke higher than his pain and he grabbed Whirl’s ‘face’ with a servo, the sheer amount of strength in which he held Whirl’s head starting to form dents and cracks. Whirl didn’t have time to struggle as Big Rig got up, never once breaking the lock which completely blocked Whirl’s field of vision. The much taller and bulkier bot handling the empurata one like he was a lifeless mannequin as he raised him until his feet couldn’t touch the ground. Whirl brought his claws up and attempted to break the lock on Big Rig’s servo. He barely had the time to take action since Big Rig started to punch him on his side relentlessly with his fist. His pounding didn’t cease, at least not until Whirl engaged his chest canons and shot Big Rig.

He released Whirl as soon as he was hit, stumbling backwards. A grunt escaped his voice box and he shook his head, never retracting his visor but baring his dental plates, expression twisted into one of pure rage.

“ **WHIRL!!!** IF ANYTHING HAPPENED TO BOLT-ON **I WILL** KILL YOU!” Big Rig clenched his fists and assumed a stance. Whirl immediately recognized that fighting stance as one adapted to physical combat, possibly a type of close quarters combat.

“I get that a lot, but… you do know this fight ain’t fair, right big guy? You have no weapons and I got at least a thousand more than you do.” Whirl tried to clean away the energon leaking from his head, but all he did was smear it across his frame.

Both bots stared as a loud thud was heard from across the Bridge. They found Bolt-On’s alt mode had tumbled to its side and was still supporting the much larger canon.

“Bolts!!” Big Rig instinctively attempted to run towards Bolt-On, only to be stopped by one shot to the floor, right in front of him. He turned to face Whirl.

“Focus, big guy!! He’s fine, just sleeping, or maybe the emotion was too much to handle, who knows… or cares. I know I don’t. Now show me that interesting stance of yours.” Whirl said, confident as ever. He just stood there, waiting for something to happen, no stance whatsoever, just prepared to take on whatever was thrown at him.

“DON’T FRAGGING PUSH ME WHIRL!”  Big Rig practically sprinted at Whirl, launching himself madly at the other bot who, ‘Rig knew, didn’t have the slightest intention of playing fair.

Whirl shot his canons again, hitting Big Rig right across his chest. Defeating Big Rig could’ve been that easy if it wasn’t for the fact that in the midst of the explosions, blazes and smoke, Big Rig was still running at him, optics flaring and dental plates bared. Whirl, much like the first time, never saw it coming and soon he was being held in a lock around his waist so tight, he could feel his energon flow being cut off.

Big Rig was actually an excellent fighter, he wasn’t a warrior but he managed quite well when it came to fight his way out of a situation. He was resourceful  and astute, not to mention his size which was an actual advantage.

He lifted Whirl off the ground and held him in his grip, squeezing until the empurata bot was squirming and making attempts to escape from his deadly lock. Big Rig, much to Whirl’s surprise, did something unexpected: He turned Whirl around never once breaking his lock on his waist and lifted him higher, enough for Whirl’s upper body to be above his right shoulder, then, while bending his knees, Big Rig let himself drop on his back in a powerful move where all his strength was applied into slamming Whirl onto the ground. The impact so massive it left a crater on the spot.

Whirl was out of commission instantly.

Big Rig got up like he just emerged from a smelting pool, vents whirring loudly, frame blazing hot while smoke and vapor left him. His shoulders falling and rising heavily, mouth agape in an attempt to cool himself down and regain his composure. He tried to take a few steps in Bolt-On’s direction but his intentions were cut short by a sudden shot to his back which made him stumble forward and fall flat on his chest.

“You forgot the part where I have a thousand more weapons than you do, big guy!” Whirl was on his feet already, he was missing a few appendages and was leaking energon from a few transformation seams, his frame looking abused and cracked.

While Whirl was busy gloating, Big Rig’s rage ignited and he launched himself at the empurata bot once more. Big Rig’s maneuvers were lacking as his strength was depleted from previous efforts, but his instincts told him to apply all his brute force into one powerful shove which send Whirl and himself to the ground again. Big Rig growled as he pinned Whirl against the floor beneath him.

“You also forgot the part where I have a welding tool incorporated in my hand.” Big Rig muttered dangerously, transforming his hand into a torch and approaching it dangerously to Whirl’s face. “I will fuse that conceited face of yours onto the ground.”

Something deep beneath Whirl’s subconscious emerged back to life and he let out a scream. Flashbacks of surgeons in relinquishments clinics holding medical tools zapped through his mind like thunder and he _screamed_. Big Rig’s optics widened in surprise and he _stopped_ , Whirl’s distress catching him completely off guard.

“Wh-What…?” Big Rig snapped out of his trance and transformed his hand back. He noticed Whirl was holding his servos up defensively and shaking, head turned and optic offlined while he whimpered. Big Rig didn’t like him, it was a fact, but he was sensible enough to know the limits of a particular situation and he certainly wasn’t going to mistreat a bot, as much as this particular bot deserved it, who was abused and mutilated… it resonated with his sympathy towards Bolt-On’s own experiences. Besides he could use this newly acquired ‘fact’ as his advantage since now he knew Whirl’s weakness.

“I win.” Big Rig made an effort to get off Whirl, wincing in pain when he got up. He was leaking energon from open wounds across his chest and he figured his back wasn’t much better… he looked a mess, all cracks and fissures and a half-broken visor. What would the others think? What would _Bolt-On_ think, was all he could ponder.

As soon as the fight was over, Fortress Maximus, Ultra Magnus, Swerve, Rewind, Chromedome and of course Rodimus, and Drift came running towards the brawlers. Big Rig couldn’t figure if their timing was absolutely appalling or if by some divine intervention the fight was meant to come to an end.

“What in Primus’ name is going on here!? What is this mutiny!?” Ultra Magnus yelled, hands holding his helmet in disbelief. “I cannot even begin to enumerate the laws being broken here! You two are in violation of the Tyrest accord section 12 paragraph 8, which states that it is illegal to incur in acts of violence against your crew members, and section 14 paragraph 10, which states that it is illegal to enter a weapons facility without permission from the Ship's Security Officer. **Me** in this specific case!!” He gestured dramatically while he spoke, visibly baffled at the whole ordeal. Big Rig was beginning to suspect some of that disbelief came from the fact he involved himself in disgraceful affairs.

“I’ll go get ‘Rig…” Fort Max promptly offered himself to help his friend, besides he didn’t want to lay his hands on Whirl in fear something worse might happen. He placed a hand on Big Rig’s shoulder and tried to ask him for an explanation. Big Rig’s concerns were, for the time being, completely focused on Bolt-On who still had the fusion canon incorporated into his frame. He couldn’t care less for regulations or broken laws as long as his partner was still in potential danger.

“Rig… listen… Bolt-On’s fine. He’ll wake up soon and release himself from that canon, you know he will. You should go to the medical bay for treatment, your spark case…” Fort Max tried to reason with Big Rig only for his comments to be countered with “Bolt-On first…” every time.

Whirl stood up slowly, keeping surprisingly silent he completely ignored his wounds and simply dragged himself towards the exit. Rung came immediately to his aid with a hasty pace followed by Ultra Magnus who was muttering something about getting him into the brig as soon as reports and protocols were taken care of.

Whirl dismissed everything he said since clearly his mind was focused elsewhere. Rung interrupted Ultra Magnus’ lecturing and placed a servo on Whirl’s forearm, asking if he could speak with him first before anything else then, with utmost sympathy, telling him it was going to be ‘alright’. Rodimus authorized the appointment on the spot, much to Ultra Magnus dismay and finally Rung and Whirl left before the rest of the crew.

The other bots could only watch in absolute shock how far the situation had escalated. All of them had a pretty general idea of what had happened, but none of them knew the details extensively and Big Rig hoped they never would, for Whirl’s weakness as well as his secret, was a precious strategic advantage to guarantee his and Bolt-On’s safety against any future threats.

Big Rig sat on the floor and Fort Max aided him, never once distracting him with futile questions or suggestions related to his care. He knew Big Rig wouldn’t leave until Bolt-On regained consciousness, so all he could do at the moment was to be his moral support.

With a whimper Bolt-On came to his senses, he didn’t transform right away considering his current condition. He was still resting on his side due to the massive weight of the canon he was cradling, soon he realized something might’ve happened and he asked, “Rig… what happened…?”

“Bolts!” ‘Rig called his name and hissed through his dental plates, taking a mental note not to move that suddenly again, he sat on the ground next to his partner. “Boltsy, are you ok? Can you transform?” His voice sounded incredibly concerned.

“’Rig… I- I guess so… I’ll try.” Now there was a hint of preoccupation in Bolt-On’s own voice. He knew something was wrong the moment Big Rig addressed to him in such a concerned manner and it naturally affected him as well, but the priority right now was to get rid of the uncomfortable weapon connected to his frame. As Bolt-On tried to transform, he disassembled his body from the weapon extremely slowly and, with surgical precision, his parts returned to their rightful places until the canon was fully disengaged. The position he was performing the transformation in was uncomfortable and slightly awkward since he was mostly resting on his side. Finally, with a loud thud the canon fell to the ground and he was free to transform the rest of his body, limbs coming together and his head emerged from inside his chassis. The whole operation took a couple of minutes to complete and while Bolt-On knew that he was going to feel a familiar soreness in a moment, he wasn’t the least concerned about himself.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw as soon as he turned his head to look at his partner : Big Rig’s spark casing partially exposed, cuts and holes leaking energon, dents and cracks across his mess of a frame… he was a wreck.

“ **’RIG!? WHAT HAPPENED!? OH PRIMUS WE HAVE TO GET YOU TO-** ” His concerned shouts were cut short once Big Rig pulled him into an embrace, completely enveloping the smaller bot around in his arms. Bolt-On ceased his protests and reluctantly returned the gesture.

“’Rig… you’re still hurt. I’m fine. Please-“

“I’m glad you’re ok.” Big Rig whispered into his audio receptor, tightening his arms around him and speaking in such a hurtful manner it hit Bolt-On right in his spark. “Whirl is gone… Whirl is gone…” He reassured his partner. Bolt-On immediately realizing he wasn’t the one in need of reassurance, but rather the much larger bot embracing him.

“’Rig listen, I’m not worried about Whirl. He obviously isn’t here anymore so I suppose you took care of that… I- I don’t understand- I don’t know what happened exactly but let me just tell you that I’m fine. I’m more than fine.” The small bot smiled at Big Rig in a way that was very natural to him, optics curving slightly at the bottom and glistening in such a frank manner it genuinely relieved Big Rig’s distress. He chuckled quietly at Bolt-On, who released Big Rig’s grip around himself.

“I’m sorry about everything ‘Rig… if I didn’t have this problem you wouldn’t be hurt…“ The shorter bot tried to apologize as he looked at the ground, rubbing an arm awkwardly with a servo.

“Don’t-” Big Rig brushed his apology aside. He has told Bolt-On countless times to never apologize for his recharging problem given the fact it was something he couldn’t control. Besides, Big Rig promised him many years ago he’d always take care of him no matter the cost… the same applied to Bolt-On who swore to protect ‘Rig to the best of his abilities. It was something mutual and honest and absolutely balanced.

Fort Max kept ‘guarding’ both bots, purposely blocking the view from the rest of the bystanders. He knew Big Rig was in no condition to notice just how openly affectionate he was being and how normally he’d never show any kind of emotion towards his partner unless they were somewhere alone in a closed, private space. Fort Max understood this and tried to salvage and respect Big Rig’s vulnerabilities as best as he could. In this particular case, using his sheer size to block the sight, preventing any kind of conversations that could cause ‘Rig any discomfort later.

Bolt On opened a compartment in his chest and took out a small vial, holding it between his index finger and thumb then placing it into Big Rig’s massive palm and using both his servos to close his fingers around the small recipient, he spoke clearly, “I meant to give it to you later, you know… when we were in our hab suite, but now seems appropriate.” His familiar nonchalant smile never once leaving his face. What was left of Big Rig’s visor retracted, his expression showing how incredibly moved he was by the gesture.

“Bolt-On… “ Big Rig stared at his hand, optics wide. For a moment he swore his wounds didn’t even hurt anymore as he pulled Bolt-On into a hug, a heartfelt gesture he never once, in all the years they’ve been together, recalled doing. He was glad the moment finally came to express his care in a physical way, he felt like it was long overdue and he also knew Bolt-On would appreciate it. He was always the most physical of them both but restrained himself to respect Big Rig’s personal space.

Bolt-On returned the embrace happily and buried his helmet in Big Rig’s shoulder, hiding his optics. Words were difficult to muster, the bigger bot feeling he had a knot in his voice box but even so he still managed to whisper “Thank you, Bolt-On…” into his partner’s audio receptor.

***

A full solar week was what it took to repair the Bridge, the job revealing to be even more challenging than Big Rig had anticipated. His unusual repairs partner complained throughout the whole ordeal and Big Rig felt like to, more than once, smash his optic in again but restrained himself in fear he’d end up in the brig for good.

“Whirl, fetch me a new plaque.” Big Rig muttered in a plain tone, never once taking his optics off his work as he welded the metal away with surgical precision.

“Ultra Magnus can go frag himself, would much rather spend quality time at the brig. At least I’d be used to it.” Whirl reluctantly picked the plain metal object and took it to Big Rig. His punishment revealing itself to be more painful than a full week at the brig, but even Whirl knew it was fitting.

Eight solar cycles before, once both bots were fully repaired, Ultra Magnus immediately demanded that their respective punishments be executed. Rodimus however, thought it’d be educational and pro-active for both of them to repair the damage they caused together. The only way Ultra Magnus agreed to apply such a creative penalty was when he stared at Whirl’s optic and noticed how annoyed he became once he listened to what Rodimus suggested. The brig after all, wasn’t going to do much to correct Whirl’s behavior, if ever. Rung agreed to it, apologetically explaining why it was necessary and why everyone could benefit from their efforts. Everyone reached a consensus that both bots would work together to fix the bridge under Fort Max’s supervision.

While both of them were awkwardly cooperating, Bolt-On came to meet them after his shift was over at the workshop, kindly bringing them bottled energon. Fort Max would normally disagree to it since Ultra Magnus was very clear when he mentioned their penalties shouldn’t be interrupted under any circumstances, but given the fact he witnessed their bonding, he just let Bolt-On go to them.

“Whirl…?” Bolt-On asked reluctantly. “I brought you this.”

“Little fellah! Aren’t you full of surprises!” Whirl happily took the bottle from Bolt-On’s servo and before he opened it he took a moment to say, “Look… I’m not good at this, or any kind of interaction that requires me to lower myself to the same weak level as others, so I hope you understand what I’m trying to say here.”

“Apology accepted, Whirl.” Bolt-On placed a servo on Whirl’s claw reassuringly and went to Big Rig’s encounter. Whirl could only stare as the small bot walked away, feeling for the first time in centuries, an honest gratification for something he expressed to someone else.

“Hey, guess what I brought!” Bolt-On waved the bottle next to Big Rig’s head, trying to get his attention.

“Hey Boltsy! Thank Primus you showed up, I was just thinking how good it’d be to have a fresh drink.” He took the bottle and raised it to Fort Max, clearly thanking him for the gesture. Fort Max waved once, acknowledging Big Rig’s gratitude.

“How’s your new partner doing?” Bolt-On asked, amused.

“Well, he’s been reluctant to cooperate, but useful nonetheless. I-“ Big Rig hesitated to continue, barely managing to utter the words, “… Whirl told me what you did, he said you actually volunteered to cradle that canon-“

Big Rig’s words were interrupted as Bolt-On nodded confidently, always with a smile, always nonchalantly... “Yes, in exchange he’d leave us alone.”

Big Rig chuckled and placed a servo on Bolt-On’s shoulder, “Did you know Whirl didn’t mention that during the meeting with Ultra Magnus and Rodimus?”

“I know.” Replied Bolt-On, much to Big Rig’s surprise.

“You know…?” Big Rig let out a laugh. “You’re always one step ahead of things, aren’t you?”

“I could be, but sometimes I fall into recharge and miss all the action. Like my conjux endura trying to protect me because I failed to do so…” Bolt-On’s optics became dim and showed a hint of sadness, voice filled with regret. Big Rig sighed and nudged his shoulder playfully, “Trust me Boltsy, you did more than I’d ever do. It was a really big thing you did back there, forgiving Whirl… I’m still trying to tolerate him.”

Bolt-On grabbed his servo with both of his hands and spoke calmly “That’s not true. You are working as a team for the greater good of this ship and its crew. As Optimus Prime would say, ‘you’ve truly risen above yourself’, I’m proud!”

Big Rig swore all of his concerns, doubts and regrets vanished that moment. How Bolt-On managed to do that he’d never know, but he was more than happy to give in to such good feelings.

“C’mon ‘Rig, finish that so we can go to Swerve’s and celebrate. We have a lot to talk about with the others, they’re worried about you.” Bolt-On promptly turned around and hurried towards the exit, waving goodbye to Whirl and thanking Fort Max for the favor.

With a refreshed conscious, Big Rig went back to his welding, a faint smile across his lips.


	3. Big Bolts - Sibling Rivalry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lost Light crew detects an Autobot distress signal on a foreign planet, adding to some very interesting guests to the existing inhabitants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfiction contains, as I’ve stated, original characters inserted in IDW’s universe, specifically in the “More than Meets the Eye” series.
> 
> 'Big Rig' belongs to my dear friend Mighty-Grifo (mighty-grifo.tumblr.com/) and this is fully dedicated to him so, Happy Birthday!!
> 
> I also want to thank my beta, Musa (clich-a.tumblr.com) for aiding me with the overall grammar of the fic, would have never had the guts to publish this if it weren't for you. Thank you again!

“That is a Cybertronian signal, Rodimus. Autobot even. According to protocol our next course of action is to send out a drop ship for immediate assistance.” Ultra Magnus stated firmly, pointing at a small dot in the huge screens before them.

“They could be dead already. We’d be wasting resources… What if it’s a trap? What then, Magnus?” Rodimus questioned, hand in chin.

“The Autobot Code states that-“

“I _know_ what the Code states! I don’t need you to remind me of every single line of Code every nanosecond. I’m Commander for a reason!”  Rodimus stood abruptly from his usual laidback sitting position, he gestured rather frantically towards the screen. “Do you remember what happened last time we landed on an unknown planet? People died, people got sick, and we brought a psychopath on board!”

“Well, if I may…” Drift calmly interrupted. “Ratchet also got new hands, we got ourselves a Medical officer, we-“

“Shut up Drift, I know what happened.” Rodimus spat.

“You were the one who asked what happened, I was just stating the facts…” The third in command mumbled.

“Rodimus, you know we have a moral obligation to help other Autobots in need. Aside from being stated in the Code, the protocol is to analyze the situation and send out a scouting team. I suggest Whirl and Skids.” Magnus reasoned.

Rodimus stared at him for a moment. Clearly Magnus was able to change his mind once he mentioned the “candidates”, and he had to agree they were quite fitting for the job. Whirl’s instability aside, he was ruthless and hard to kill plus Skids would be there for added common sense. Rodimus sighed. “Very well then. Approach the atmosphere and send out a drop ship for a squad, if the signal is authentic we might very well be looking at a rescue mission. Have Ratchet and First Aid prepare the medical bay.”

***

Being done with his shift earlier than usual, Bolt-On went directly to his habitation suit. Work was slow these days, and being an upgrades engineer in a ship with a very limited population, work would eventually come to a halt. Bolt-On couldn’t complain, he still got called every once in a while to fix whatever Rodimus would tell him to, in addition, he got plenty of free time to work on his personal projects, which occasionally would end up having disastrous consequences that would put Wheeljack’s endeavors to shame. Then again… he did work with Wheeljack during earlier days.

Yes… life was definitely good aboard the Lost Light.

He sat in his berth by the door and held his personal datapad, setting its mode to “free handwriting slash drawing”. Aside from Big Rig and a couple of friends, the rest of the crew was unaware of his “talent”. Bolt-On justified it with his constant need to draw diagrams and technical sheets to help him with his projects, claiming he practiced very often, but so did Perceptor and he still wasn’t able to draw Jetfire’s portrait in 30 minutes.

Bolt-On hummed happily as he doodled his thoughts away. The subject this time it seemed, was an “improved” version of himself complete with elegant wings and sharp facial features. The stocky engineer did always admire fliers and their frames, being a grounder with an unfortunate alt-mode himself he could only imagine what it would feel like to cut the skies freely with sleek wings and light plating.

Bolt-On sighed heavily, longing for something he could never have. Darkness soon followed.

***

Big Rig left his shift later than normal. Ratchet had asked him to weld a couple of medical berths that were stocked away, apparently for too long given the miserable state they were in: Monitoring displays out of their sockets, metal sheets peeling off, even the legs were broken… Thankfully for the welder this was easy work, although it offended his skills.

There was a rumor going around about a rescue mission, and how the population of the Lost Light was about to grow in numbers which could explain the sudden interest in extra medical berths. Either way, Big Rig wanted to return to his hab suite and get back to his very comfortable routine. He’d spend a good hour cleaning his welding tools to a polished finish, and then would reward himself with some energon sticks and good high grade.

As he stepped inside, the first thing he noticed was a leg dangling from the closest berth to the door, thankfully the tiny frame it belonged to was not on the floor. The taller bot sighed. “Oh Bolts… let’s put you in a more comfortable position shall we?” This was routine, unfortunately… Finding Bolt-On passed out by himself was never pleasant, but at least he was in their hab suite and not in the bar surrounded by dubious company.

Something hit the floor as he shifted Bolt-On from his awkward position. Big Rig stared at the datapad that had dropped from his Conjux Endura’s lap before picking it up hesitantly, the object apparently still on. The welder did a double take as he noticed something familiar about Bolt-On’s drawing… It wasn’t just some random doodle of an acquaintance or a technical drawing of his next project, this was his Conjux Endura he was staring at. Mind you, a rather… different Bolt-On, but no doubt this was an attempt at drawing an “improved” version of himself.

Big Rig’s energon boiled.

He shook his partner gently, in hopes he would regain his consciousness. Bolt-On finally stirred and blinked his optics before readjusting them to his surroundings. The difference between Bolt-On waking up from a legitimate recharge and a Neurological Recharge Disorder episode, was that he always yawned after a good night’s rest, but not when he passed out from his NRD.

“Oh, ‘Rig…? You’re back? I finished my shift earlier today. I was waiting for you and then- well, you know...” He chuckled before sitting on the edge of his berth, next to his taller companion.

“No, Bolts. I don’t know. Care to explain what this is?” He held the datapad up as his visor retracted. One should always fear when Big Rig retracted his visor… his optics were intense and expressive, and now they were charged with underlying anger. Bolt-On’s optics widened before their intensity faded. He averted his look and fumbled with his digits, struggling to speak.

“It’s just a drawing, ‘Rig…”

“You know as well as I do that it’s not “just a drawing”. Next thing you know it’s “just an idea” or “just a modification”… I can’t let you have these toxic ideas. There is nothing wrong with the way you are, Bolts.” Big Rig explained. He tried to control his tone, straining his voice so his anger wouldn’t scare Bolts away.

“I know… I just- Sometimes I wonder what it is like to be different, you know? Not to be bound to the ground... Not to be, well… me.” He said.

Big Rig sighed. It was not the first time Bolt-On had expressed his distaste for his own frame. It was true he’s been through extreme hardships because of it, that it caused him more pain than any bot should have to withstand in a lifetime, but it was part of who he was and who Big Rig cherished.

He wrapped a large arm around the smaller frame beside him, pulling him close. “You are who you are. Who you were born, or made as. Your frame is not a curse or a flaw, Bolts…  Your frame is unique, a part of you. I don’t blame you for what you feel, but you’ve got to understand it’s not your alt mode’s fault.” He sighed, before continuing. “We all know who’s to blame here, and it’s the people who used you and abused you. But they’re gone now, and you’re safe!”

Bolt-On stared at Big Rig. His taller partner was not a bot of words, Primus knew he didn’t talk much, but when he did he would always hit the nail on the head. Reassurance appeased his spark for now… although he couldn’t keep noticing this was a tough subject for ‘Rig, one that stirred anger in him. Bolt-On never dared to ask if there was something else about the issue, something darker and painful that Big Rig tried to suppress…

“Thank you, ‘Rig…” Yes, it was best to let it go.

***

Big Rig’s recharge was interrupted by a sudden violent knocking on their hab suite’s door. On the other side Whirl screamed as loud as he possibly could as he kept banging on several different doors. “Whirl saves the day again!! Get up wallflowers, we’ve got guests!! All thanks to Whirl the unvencible, Lost Light’s hero, savior of Autobots!! GET THE FRAG UP!!”

“’Rig…?” Bolt-On sat up, yawning. “What’s going on?”

“Whirl’s being a glitch, for a change.” He grunted. “Something about guests and saving-“

“’Rig…? Is everything ok?” He asked.

“I think I know what’s going on. This is why Ratchet wanted me to fix those medical berths yesterday.” Big Rig explained.

“Oh, that one task you com’d me that was “stupidly boring and even a newbuild with no manual dexterity could do”?” Bolt-On smirked.

“… Yes, that one.” He grinned.

“We should get some energon and check what the fuss is all about. I’m gonna com Rewind!” He said excitedly, before hopping off the berth and going straight for the energon dispenser. “It’s been a while since we had new crew members, I’m excited! Oh, do you want sticks or chips?” Bolt-On asked, looking over his shoulder.

“Neither, a cube is fine, thank you.” He quickly replied. “Hmm… if it means more work I guess it’s alright. Not too excited for annoying newcomers though...”

“Work is always nice! Things have been kinda slow lately…” Bolt-On said, taking a moment to grab their energon and handing ‘Rig his cube. “I hope they’re nice people! I wonder what they do… maybe they’re medics!? Ratchet and First Aid could use extra help.”

Big Rig chuckled as he took a sip of his energon cube. “Well, making new friends shouldn’t be hard for you anyway…”

“It’s only hard for you because you let it. It doesn’t have to be, you big lug.” Bolt-On joked about before his communicator beeped. “Let’s go! Rewind’s already there!”

“Yes, yes! Calm down your overcharged chassis!”

***

As they made their way down the ship’s hallways, the restlessness and haste of the Lost Light’s residents was noticeable. Bots ran past Big Rig and Bolt-On yelling something about having a star on board. Between exclamations such as “I can’t believe he’s here!” and “It’s the racing star!”, Big Rig heard something about four rescued Autobots. Immediately his mind went to Blurr, but Blurr was a wrecker first and foremost, and people nowadays tended to refer to him as a wrecker before they mentioned his racing past… Swerve being the exception, of course.

Something didn’t sit right in his tank. Actually, something most definitely didn’t sit right in his spark, quite literally. It felt like it was expanding somehow, a strange magnetic feeling. He pressed his hand against his chest, standing abruptly in the middle of the large corridor.

“’Rig…? Is something wrong?” Bolt-On asked, concern visible on his features.

“No… it can’t be.” Big Rig muttered.

“’Rig…?” The smaller engineer looked up, placing a hand on his partner’s arm.

“I can’t believe it’s him…! I can’t believe this!” The welder grabbed Bolt-On’s smaller wrist and all but dragged his smaller frame behind him as he marched frantically towards the medibay. Bolt-On’s protests and pleas were thoroughly ignored. Big Rig’s sanity was long gone as he seemed determined to reach his goal, whatever it was. Something set him off… He looked extremely angry and not even his visor could hide his menacing features. He was never like this… at least not with valid reason. Bolt-On tried to keep up with him the best he could despite losing his balance a couple of times.

Naturally, the crowd seemed to be getting much larger near the entrance to the medical bay, laughter and cheers could be heard all across the room where the rescued Autobot were at the moment. Big Rig’s movements were assertive as he pushed every single Autobot out of his way, much to their useless protests. Bolt-On followed behind, squeezing his way through the rowdy bunch surrounding their guests, apologizing for any feet he might’ve stomped with an awkward smile.

Now… The Universe can be a kind place with its predictability, like Rodimus’ long speeches, or even Ultra Magnus’ urges to cite the Autobot Code whenever someone committed an infraction. There was a certain comfort in that predictability.

What Bolt-On, or anyone in that room including the Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord could have never _ever_ predicted, was Big Rig swinging his fist so far back his shoulder joints snapped, more unlikely even, was when that furious right hook connected to one of the newcomer’s jaw so violently they could hear its thunderous smashing sound echoing through the whole ship. The brutality of the impact so fierce, it sent the guest flying several meters from his original position.

The cheers and laughter came to a cold hard stop.

It took them all a moment to understand what just took place, but soon Ultra Magnus was twitching violently before bursting into a screaming horror.

“WHAT IN PRIMUS’ NAME IS HAPPENING HERE?!” He shouted, hands flailing aggressively.

Big Rig stood there, still in position with his right hand ahead of his frame, breathing heavily. He ignored Ultra Magnus for the time being as he tried to calm himself down.

Before the Welder could regain his breath, a black, large fist connected fiercely with his nose as the same thunderous smashing sound could be heard. It caught Big Rig off guard, the sheer force of the blow sending him spinning around himself twice before hitting the ground. He lay there in silence, optics widened in shock and nose dripping energon.

“’RIG!!” Bolt-On hurried to kneel at his side, screaming his name and shaking his frame. “Oh Primus, are you okay?!”

“MUTINY!!” Ultra Magnus screamed. He was inconsolable at this point, hands pulling at his helm as he groaned. “I’VE NEVER EXPECTED THIS AMOUNT OF INSUBORDINATION COMING FROM YOU, BIG RIG! AND YOU-“ He pointed at the massive bot who just punched the Welder, but before he could continue, he had a black palm in front of his face.

“Calm down, sir! My designation is Uppercut, I’m the assigned bodyguard of the three racers you and your team very kindly rescued – Halcyon, Spright and Dash. We met before, remember? I apologize I didn’t have the chance to proper introduce myself, but even though I’m in your ship, I still must fulfill my job. Now, if you excuse me…” Uppercut darted towards the fallen racer, helping him back to his feet.

Big Rig groaned, kneeling and rubbing his energon stained nose. Bolt-On tried to assist him as he got up, coolant pooling in his bright blue optics as he shuddered in frustration.

“’Rig, what in Primus’ name was all that?” He asked.

Big Rig shook his head and clenched his fists, stirring.

“HALCYON!! YOU FRAGGING SON OF A GLITCH!!” He screamed, baring his teeth. He ran towards the racer bot in another fit of rage.

“Big Rig, is it?” Uppercut cracked his knuckles, stepping in front of his protected, ready to go. “I’m warning you, sir. If you don’t stop-“ He couldn’t even finish his warning, fist swinging again and hitting the welder on his jaw, knocking him onto the floor.

Between Ultra Magnus’ shouts and the rest of the crew’s disbelief -aside from Whirl, who was enjoying the “show” wholeheartedly and kept laughing his aft off- Drift and Rodimus finally barged into the medibay. The Commander and his Third stared at the scene in just as much disbelief as the other residents.

“Primus…” Drift gasped, bringing a servo to his mouth.

“Alright, what the frag is going on!?” Rodimus shouted.

Bolt-On stood next to Big Rig, who was grunting out of anger or possibly pain, his tiny fists clenched and his frame visibly trembling. His optics blazed with fury, turning almost white in color. He pointed to the culprit by the name of Uppercut, shouting, “This- this big hulking de-deranged bot just punched Big Rig!” And without warning, he dashed towards the Magnus sized bodyguard.

“Wow! Careful there, little one!” Uppercut said, placing a servo on Bolt-On’s head, preventing him from coming any closer as the minibot swung his tiny fists at him in an attempt to hit him.

“You’re a glitch! You’re a filthy glitch! How could you do that to my Conjux Endura, you pile of-“

“ENOUGH!! Do I have to sedate each and every one of you fraggers!? I swear on my hands I will turn on the decontamination procedures on your afts if you don’t start acting like rational bots for once in your miserable damn lives!!” The chief medical officer threatened.

It was common knowledge that Ratchet’s words held a different weight than Ultra Magnus’. No one dared to upset him out of respect… and it was quite possible he could forget specific parts of a treatment, mainly the ones that involved disconnecting one’s pain receivers. As such, the Lost Light residents took the hint and slowly abandoned the medibay, leaving the guests, the spark mates, and the commanders inside at Ratchet’s mercy.

Adding to the odd set of events that already took place, Bolt-On hit the floor abruptly, leaving Uppercut confused and alarmed.

“I didn’t even touch him, sir! I swear!” He held his hands up, looking at the unconscious bot in front of him.

“Oh, for-- Bolt-On here has recharging problems… pay no mind!” Ratchet mumbled as he gathered poor Bolt-On in his arms and set him on a slab. “How are those two?”

“I’ll be fine, good doctor. It takes more than a lousy punch from my brother to knock me out.” Said the racer, rubbing his jaw. “Besides, Uppercut is here to protect us.”

“WHAT!?” The commanders collectively screamed.

“No! I’m not bothering with this! I’m just trying to do my job here. I officially wash my hands from all of this idiotic drama!” Ratchet waves his hands in front of him, before turning around to examine Big Rig.

“Wait. Say that again?” Rodimus tilted his head, audial turned to the rescued Autobot.

“My designation is Halcyon. That’s my glitch of a spark brother, Big Rig.” Halcyon gestured at his sibling.

“Alright, hold on. Hold on! You’re telling me, that Big Rig the welder -a grounder- has a spark brother who’s a flyer?! A famous racer, at that??” Rodimus elaborated.

Halcyon was smirking by this point, arms crossed over his chest. “Yes, exactly.”

This peeked Ratchet’s interest, who was now monitoring Big Rig’s head for concussions and possible damage to his facial structure. He turned to Halcyon looking a little peeved.

“Alright. Alright! It’s scientifically impossible for spark siblings to have different alt modes. Even in cases of dizygotic sparks! You have the same sets of CNA… unless…” Ratchet’s optics widened, staring at Halcyon. “Did you-?”

“You already know the answer, doc. Though that was 4 million years ago, I don’t think it’s relevant anymore.” Halcyon confirmed, looking smug.

“I see… You must have an awfully strong spark if it didn’t collapse under your, er… new body and the –I assume- immense amounts of stress it subjected you to.” Ratchet frowned. “But as I said, I’ve washed my hands from this family drama.” He dismissed the rest of the conversation by waving a hand, turning his attention to Big Rig once again.

Rodimus and his Commanders stared at each other in utter disbelief. That was a lot to take in, fortunately for them getting involved in the personal matters of others was optional.

***

Big Rig grew slightly agitated, the front of his head was pounding and he could barely open his optics. That was quite a punch, but it took more than that to completely knock him out.

“Halcyon!!” He sat abruptly, holding his head as he let out a painful grunt.

“’Rig!” Bolt-On called, standing next to his berth. “’Rig, calm down… how are you feeling?”

“Like Bruticus just kicked my aft.” He groaned.

“I appreciate the compliment. But I fear I’m nowhere near as big, aside from the obvious fact I’m not a combiner. You sir, are a tough one. Most bots would’ve been knocked out senseless by my right hooks, I’m surprised it just gave you a headache.” Uppercut laughed, standing behind Bolt-On.

“Get the frag away from him!” Big Rig snapped, trying to move Bolt-On away.

“Hey, ‘Rig… shh! It’s alright, Uppercut is not a threat.” Bolt-On rubbed his arm in an attempt to reassure his companion. “In fact we talked while you were drowsy, he apologized.”

“Me and Bolt-On are all good, sir. You have to understand that I cannot let you hurt those I am supposed to protect, it’s my job as a bodyguard.” Uppercut smiled. “Though between you and me, if I knew you were his brother from the start, I just might’ve let you take another swing at him. Can’t stand that smug attitude of his sometimes.” He laughed, the same warm and earnest laugh just from moments ago. It was charismatic, Big Rig thought. Maybe he wasn’t to fear after all.

“So, _Big Rig_. I apologize for what I did and I hope we can call it a truce… Would really like for us to be friends. If Bolt-On here is your Conjux Endura, it must mean you’re alright.” He patted Bolt-On’s head, getting a smile from the engineer in return. He then offered his hand, winking at the welder.

“…Fine.” Big Rig returned the gesture, still averting his optics with a frown. Yeah, he was alright.

Moments later into their bonding, a guest stepped inside, drawing a groan out of the resident welder. “Halcyon…”

“Oooh! Getting acquainted I see. Heh.” He stepped closer to the berth, next to Uppercut –just in case Big Rig would charge at him again- placing his hands on his hips with a smirk across his face. Bolt-On promptly moved to the other side of the berth.

“You must be the only person on this ship who’s not happy to see me, brother.” The flyer said.

“You’re not my brother. You’re a faker and a traitor.” Big Rig scoffed.

“I will never stop being your sibling whether you want it or not. You know it in your spark. _Especially_ in your spark. You can deny it all you want, big guy! You’re so bitter over something that happened over four million years ago… don’t you think it’s time to let it go already?” Halcyon said, a hint of arrogance plastered all over his voice and gestures.

“YOU FRAGGING BODYGLOVED! THAT’S NOT YOUR BODY!! YOU STOLE SOME POOR FRAGGER’S FRAME AND MADE A PROFIT OUT OF IT, HUMILIATING ME IN THE PROCESS!!” Big Rig snapped.

Uppercut’s whole frame tensed, clenching his fists. He wanted to intervene, but this was something he knew it was beyond him. Big Rig must’ve been holding that back for hundreds of vorns…

Bolt-On gasped, something coming to his realization. He knew Halcyon, he met Halcyon many years ago when he and Big Rig were just Amica Endura, but never in his life he would’ve guessed that Halcyon’s frame was not his own, that he withstood spark transfer to change… His spark tightened in his chest, suddenly feeling the urge to vomit.

“Honestly, ‘Rig. I will never understand how you can blame me for searching for a better lifestyle. Lighten up! You should be proud of your brother! I made it big! Look at me!” The flyer said.

“Our life was fine! Our life was perfectly fine until you’ve started to get all of those crazy ideas from your glitched friends. Going to a relinquishment clinic… changing who you were… being ashamed of your perfectly honorable trade and your own brother! You’re trash! You’re a pile of fragging scrap!! You’d think getting a new body would give you a better personality, but it just made you worse! You’re no brother of mine, you’re a shadow of your old self who basks in praise from strangers and narcissism. Further proof of your rotten personality is the fact my words don’t even faze you…” Big Rig vented, looking straight at Halcyon’s optics.

“You’re right. I don’t regret it in the least. Why am I going to be upset over something that changed my life for the better? I don’t understand you at all ‘Rig.” Halcyon waved a hand at him, dismissing his words.

Big Rig stood up, rubbing his head. He stood in front of Halcyon, finger poking his chest. Uppercut took a step back, Halcyon side eyeing him with a frown.

“Listen and listen well, _brother._ You don’t understand because even after all these millennia, you still cannot wrap your mind around the reason why I’m angry at you. I am _furious_ at you, not because you were searching for a better life or to better yourself, not because you abandoned me… but because you already had a good life and what you wanted was a sense of entitlement, to feel superior. And you know what? Congratulations, you did it. You have fame and you have fortune, but you have nothing here!” Big Rig elaborated, pressing his digit against his chest. “I bet you don’t even have any friends. You didn’t even fight our war because you were so above our “drama”… you have no right to wear this badge!! You have no right!!”

Uppercut placed a hand on Big Rig’s chest, shaking his head. He let Big Rig speak his mind because he too thought Halcyon deserved to be scolded… maybe some of those words could get past his thick helm, finally.

“I am surprised, ‘Rig. But then again I don’t have to listen to any of this. We finally see each other after three million years and all I get from you is hostility.” The racing star countered, disgruntled. “Let’s go, Uppercut. I’d rather be drinking than listening to this- this Optimus Prime wannabe here.” He looked at Big Rig with contempt, giving him a look over before he walked out. Uppercut whispered a “sorry” before leaving after his protégé.

“Scum… I’m just sorry he’s not a Decepticon… if he was he’d have the D.J.D. chasing after his aft.” Big Rig scoffed.

Bolt-On was speechless. He felt a range of different emotions and he couldn’t tell which one was taking over him. It was overwhelming.

“I’m going to our hab suite.” He finally told his companion, voice stoic.

Big Rig sighed, a sinking feeling lingering over him. This was not over…

***


End file.
